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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: prune · firm · bound · game · season · current · land · mug

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. game — a match
  3. land — a country
  4. bound — tied together
  5. current — electric
  6. firm — steady
  7. mug — a cup
  8. firm — decided
  9. mug — to rob
  10. prune — to trim
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. land — ground
  13. current — of water
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bound — certain
  17. firm — a company
  18. land — to come down
  19. current — happening now
  20. game — wild animals
  21. mug — a face
  22. bound — obliged
  23. season — in sport
  24. game — a kind of play

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com